Residential and commercial kitchens use a variety of cooking oils and greases in the preparation of certain food items. These food items are cooked in these oils and greases in common kitchen cooking receptacles such as frying pans, broiler pans, deep-fryers, and pots and the like. Once a food item has finished cooking and been removed from its cooking receptacle, there is a generous amount of residual cooking oil and/or grease that undesirably remains in the cooking receptacle.
Many food items such as beef and pork products (i.e. hamburgers, bacon and the like) are cooked without the use of cooking oils or greases. During the cooking process, these food items produce their own residual oils and/or greases. Once a food item such as this has finished cooking and been removed from its cooking receptacle, there is a generous amount of the food item's own residual oil and/or grease that undesirably remains in the cooking receptacle.
Still some food items are cooked in cooking oils or greases wherein the combination of the cooking oil or grease and the food item's residual oil and/or grease undesirably remains in the receptacle.
Once the heating source to the cooking receptacle is terminated, the remaining cooking oil or grease, or the food item's residual oil and/or grease, or the combination of both will eventually cool. Upon cooling, the cooking oil will remain in its original liquid state. Upon cooling, the cooking grease will undesirably congeal. Upon cooling, the food item's residual oil will generally remain as a liquid, and the food item's residual grease will undesirably congeal, or a combination of both.
In any of the aforementioned scenarios the residuals remaining in the cooking receptacle will require disposal. Usually said disposal occurs later at a convenient time which unfortunately allows congealment when greases are involved. Once congealment has formed, the cooking receptacle must be undesirably reheated to change the congealment back into a flowable form in order to allow complete gravity drainage of the cooking receptacle. This reheating is costly and a waste of energy.
Currently there are several typical methods employed in the drainage and disposal of these residuals from cooking receptacles.
One method which is time consuming and cumbersome consists of holding the cooking receptacle over a sink basin and emptying the cooking receptacle's residual contents directly into the sink basin's drain piping system. Using this method will eventually clog the sink basin's drain piping system requiring costly repairs. This method also undesirably allows these residual oils and greases to enter septic tank systems and public sewer systems and cause costly equipment repairs. It is even worse when congealed matter is involved as it must be undesirably reheated and returned back to a liquid state in order for it to gravity flow into the sink basin's drain piping system, and then this liquid cools and congeals again once flowing into and contacting the sink basin's drain piping system creating more serious clogging. Frequently hot water is then introduced into the sink basin's drain piping system based on the operator's premise that this action will eliminate or drastically reduce any clogging. Not only is this action a costly waste of water, it is also a costly waste of energy that was used to heat the water and reheat the congealed matter.
A second method consists of directly placing the cooking receptacles into a household dishwasher. This method is also undesirable for the same reasons explained above.
A third method consists of holding the cooking receptacle over a disposable collection receptacle such as an empty coffee can or an aluminum foil receptacle, or the like, and emptying the cooking receptacle's residual contents directly into the disposable collection receptacle. This method is undesirable as it is also time consuming, cumbersome and requires a steady hand in order to not allow any of the cooking receptacle's residual contents to undesirably enter the sink basin's drain piping system or onto other surfaces.
A fourth method which is also time consuming and cumbersome consists of holding the cooking receptacle over a trash receptacle or the like and emptying the cooking receptacle's residual contents directly into the trash receptacle. This method is undesirable as there is a potential for leaks from the trash receptacle's liner bag which can create a slipping hazard or damage flooring and/or carpeting.
When a clog does develop in a kitchen sink basin's drain piping system, sometimes costly toxic chemicals are introduced into the drain piping system followed by more water to break up the clog. These chemicals ultimately harm the environment and can damage kitchen sink basin and drain components and public sewer system equipment.
A need therefore obviously exists for a kitchen device that would save energy, be efficient, be economic and be safe in the handling and draining of a cooking receptacle's residual oils and/or greases and their consequent collection and disposal. This device would generally vertically support hot or cold cooking receptacles and the like, and allow the cooking receptacles' residual fluids to safely drain into a separate remote disposable collection receptacle located beneath said kitchen device. Said kitchen device would eliminate oil and/or grease—causing clogs and associated repairs. Said kitchen device would save water and energy and protect the environment. A need also exists for a kitchen device that would make draining easier for elderly, handicapped and arthritis stricken users. It will become readily apparent that the present invention is not limited to only kitchen applications. For example the device could also be used in manufacturing and industrial facilities where draining and cooling of parts are required.